Midwest
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announces reparations task force, blasts 'systemic racism' in Juneteenth speech
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the creation of a reparations task force and agenda aimed at addressing historical injustices against Black people in the United States while citing systemic racism and other polices he said have harmed people of color.
The task force will develop a definition and framework for reparations, which would be delivered in the form of improvements in housing, education, jobs, and criminal justice. The group will also conduct a study to catalog policies that have harmed African Americans in Chicago, including controversial real estate practices like redlining and restrictive covenants.
“Reparations will be an investment in our neighborhoods and our people,” Johnson said Monday during a Juneteenth celebration. “It will unlock the doors of prosperity to fully flow through the neighborhoods that have been disinvested in for decades…we must never forget our goal to make sure reparations become a reality for Black residents of this city.”
BOSTON ACTIVISTS CALL FOR $15 BILLION IN REPARATIONS, SAY THE CITY MUST ‘FULLY COMMIT TO WRITING CHECKS’
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday announced the creation of a reparations task force during a Juneteenth celebration. (WFLD)
The City Council’s Black Caucus will also participate in the task force hearings and recommendations.
Alderman Nick Sposato, a critic of Johnson, told Fox Chicago the planned $500,000 to fund the task force could be better spent elsewhere.
“It’s too divisive, it’s going to divide us even more,” Sposato said. “I don’t know what the fairness about it would be. Maybe the report will say it’s unnecessary, but I highly doubt that.”
Reparations has been a thorny subject as some cities have tried to create a pathway for the descendants of Black slaves to collect compensation for the free labor of their ancestors.
CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY ARGUES CASH PAYMENTS TO DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES ‘RECOGNIZE THE HARM DONE’ FROM SLAVERY
During his speech, Johnson said Chicago still bears the scars of “systemic racism and injustices that have been inflicted on our communities.”
“We’ve seen them in highways that cut through Black neighborhoods and the industries that, of course, flock to these neighborhoods and often contribute to increased pollution and poor health outcomes,” he said.
“The disinvestment in our community has been intentional,” he added.
He also cited the mismanagement by previous mayors and the closing of schools and anti-Black and anti-business policies. Chicago has long been a Democratic stronghold; it last elected a Republican as mayor in 1927, when William H. Thompson served until 1931.
Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman hailed the reparations initiative as a significant step forward.
“I am thankful to the Johnson Administration for its continued support and commitment to addressing the deep wounds inflicted by centuries of injustice against the Black community,” Coleman said. “We will not be ashamed of who we are, and what we have overcome.”
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Detroit, MI
Fox 2 Detroit anchor Amy Andrews updates viewers on her medical leave
TV and newspapers: Detroit media history
The Detroit Free Press has been publishing since the mid-19th century.
Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV) morning news anchor Amy Andrews took to social media on Thursday, Feb. 26, to share with viewers why she has been off the air again.
Andrews posted on Instagram that she is on a “physician-directed medical leave” as she continues treatment for dysautonomia, which she described as “a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that affects things like heart rate, blood pressure, and circulation.”
Wrote Andrews, “For me, it can cause significant dizziness, vision changes, brain fog, and sudden drops in blood pressure, making live television unsafe until it’s properly stabilized.”
According to the Dysautonomia Project, a nonprofit collaborative effort to provide education on the condition, an estimated 70 million people across the globe have some form of dysfunction to the autonomic system that regulates “functions that are automatic in nature such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, excretion, perspiration, temperature regulation, pupil dilation, circulation, and respiration” and more.
“Often dysautonomias are invisible illnesses. Patients may not look sick, and yet they have symptoms that make it difficult to work, go to school, and perform activities of daily living,” the collaborative effort says.
Andrews explained on her post that she doesn’t take her decision to step back from work lightly “I love what I do, and I love serving this community. Right now, my focus is following my doctors’ guidance so that I can return safely and consistently.”
She added, “I miss our mornings together more than I can say. Please know I am working hard, I am not giving up, and my goal is to return as soon as I am medically able. Thank you for the incredible support so many of you have shown me over the years. It means everything.”
Andrews received several supportive comments to her posting, including from Local 4 News (WDIV-TV) anchors Rhonda Walker, Karen Drew and Jason Colthorp.
“From your friends and competitors across town: Get well soon. Hope to look up and see your face soon,,” wrote Colthorp.
Andrews, who is an anchor of “Fox 2 News Mornings,” returned to work in September 2025 after an extended absence for what she said at the time on social media were health issues, describing symptoms like “extreme dizziness, balance issues, brain fog and blurred vision.”
Before that, in July 2025, she wrote online to thank staffers at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (which has several locations in metro Detroit) for taking “amazing” care of her and wrote shortly afterward in August 2025: “My neurologist was able to rule out what would’ve been a devastating diagnosis! … However, that means I move on to different specialists and different tests until we figure this out.”
Andrews has been open about her medical challenges in the past and is also an advocate for mental health awareness. Through social media, she revealed in 2022 and 2024 that she had taken medical leaves to deal with depression and anxiety.In 2021, she underwent back surgery to remove herniated disc fragments in her lower back after an injury suffered during a vacation in Florida.Andrews is an alum of Indiana University, Oakland University and the Specs Howard School of Media Arts. She worked at TV stations in Colorado, Nevada, California and the Flint and Saginaw market before joining Fox 2 Detroit in 2011.
She is involved with many community causes including Gleaners Community Food Bank, C.A.T.C.H Children’s Charity, the Crohn’s Colitis Foundation of America, Habitat for Humanity, the American Heart Association and Angels of Hope, according to her Fox 2 Detroit biography.Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks sign Cormac Ryan to two-way contract
Have additions of Ousmane Dieng and Cam Thomas re-energized the Bucks?
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The Milwaukee Bucks rewarded Cormac Ryan for his strong G League season with the Wisconsin Herd by signing him to a two-way contract. That will allow Ryan, 27, the chance to finish out the regular season with the Bucks. He would be ineligible for postseason play, however.
Ryan joins former Dominican High School star Alex Antetokounmpo and Pete Nance on two-way deals. The Bucks now have a completely full roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts as well.
Ryan was originally signed by the team in the summer, when he played in five summer league games, before inking a training camp contract. He appeared in two preseason games.
Ryan then played 29 games with the Herd and shot 42.3% from behind the 3-point line to average 20.4 points per game. He shot 48.9% from the field overall.
Ryan, a 6-foot-5 guard, played at Stanford (2018-19), Notre Dame (2020-23) and North Carolina (2023-24) before going undrafted. He averaged 10.4 points per game in college on 35.2% 3-point shooting. He made 40.7% of his 3-pointers in 2021-22 at Notre Dame.
He initially signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ryan did not make it out of training camp in 2024 but signed to the Thunder’s G League affiliate.
Minneapolis, MN
First-of-Its-Kind Photography Festival Comes to Minneapolis | Minnesota Monthly
MODE by Flickr
The Twin Cities has long been a hotbed of creative inspiration and artistic storytelling—from world-class cultural institutions to large-scale art and film festivals that propel emerging makers and creators into the spotlight. But, for the first time, local photographers are primed to receive a multi-day that is uniquely their own—geared toward all things visual, digital, and candid.
Today, global photo-sharing platform Flickr announced the launch of MODE by Flickr, a three-day photography festival set to take place Sept. 18-20—right in the heart of Minneapolis. A first-of-its-kind event, the inaugural lineup will gather some of the biggest names inartvisual media, from Emmy-nominated director and National Geographic photographer Keith Ladzinski to renowned culinary photographer Penny De Los Santos, as well as sponsorship support from global media companies including Fujifilm, HOVERAir, and more.
Whether attendees are coming to network, learn, or simply, admire, MODE will feature a variety of welcoming spaces designed to foster a dynamic exchange of creative energy. Expect immersive workshops led by industry legends, hands-on demonstrations, mind-expanding exhibitions, and special programming designed by Black Women Photographers’ Polly Irungu and Inside Out Project.
“MODE is photography in motion—alive, interactive, and deeply rooted in community,” said Ben MacAskill in a prepared statement, President and COO at SmugMug and Flickr. “For more than 20 years, Flickr has brought the world’s photographers together online. Now, we’re bringing that spirit away from devices and connecting in the real world with a festival built for creativity and the future of photography and visual arts.”
Designed around seven thematic pillars, MODE aims to bring the full spectrum of photography to life—uniting world-shifting storytelling, emerging tools, business insights, motion-driven media, cultural diversity, analog processes, and environmental responsibility. These seven pillars will float through each diverse experience, from live portrait shoots, tech demos, and editing workshops to photojournalism panels, film screenings, and instant-film activations.
Flickr’s choice of Minneapolis as its launchpad feels telling of an overarching alignment of values—the city a mirror for MODE’s core mission of celebrating creativity and community while prioritizing diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. To support this mission, the festival will be equipped with accessible venues, thoughtful sustainability measures, diverse programming, and a careful artist selection process that prioritizes representation and artistic vision.
Tickets are available now, starting at $300 for Flickr Pro members, and between $330 and $660 for general admission and VIP passes. For more information on ticketing, and updated programming announcements, visit modefestival.com.
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